# Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Lithuania)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Respublikos užsienio reikalų ministerija) is a governmental body of the Republic of Lithuania that shapes the national policy, and organises, coordinates, and controls its enforcement in the following areas: foreign affairs and security policy: international relations, economic security, foreign trade, protection of the rights and interests of the Republic of Lithuania and its persons and entities abroad; coordination of European Union membership; representing the Republic of Lithuania abroad diplomatic and consular relations, diplomatic service, Lithuanian national and diplomatic protocol, international relations; the policy of cooperation of the Republic of Lithuania; strengthening of expat connections with Lithuania.

## History

The first cabinet of ministers of the Republic of Lithuania was appointed on 11 November 1918 and the foreign affairs minister position was initially assumed by the Prime Minister Augustinas Voldemaras. Augustinas Voldemaras served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in subsequent cabinets under different prime ministers until 19 June 1920, when he was replaced by Juozas Purickis.

## Activities

The head of the Ministry is the foreign minister. The current head of the Ministry is Kęstutis Budrys. He is appointed and revoked by the President of the Republic of Lithuania by motion from the Prime Minister. The foreign minister is subordinate to the Parliament, the President, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania. The foreign minister supervises the Ministry, deals with matters that lay within its sphere of competence, signs international agreements, ensures the enforcement of regulations the Ministry is tasked to oversee, files bills, ensures the execution of orders from the Government and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania, approves Strategic Planning Methodology, issues annual reports, coordinates and controls the work of administrational departments of the Ministry, as well as the activities of diplomatic missions, consular establishments and offices of the Republic of Lithuania to international organizations, file motions to the President of the Republic of Lithuania to award the diplomatic ranks of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania, envoy extraordinary of the Republic of Lithuania, and minister plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania, and to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, to appoint or recall diplomatic representatives (ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary), defines the areas of activity for vice-ministers, and areas of cooperation for the Ministry chancellor.
In his work, the minister is advised by officers of political trust – vice-ministers. The Ministry may not have more than four of them. They organise and control execution of orders, the drafting and approval of draft regulations, and represent the minister by assignment, presenting the minister's political attitudes and decisions to the public.
The analysis, planning, formation, coordination, and enforcement of Lithuania's foreign policy is done by the political director of the Foreign Ministry. The director's functions include high-level representation of Lithuania abroad. The political director is involved in the activities of the Ministry's management, cooperates with the Ministry's administrative departments, domestic and foreign institutions, bodies, and individual partners. The director also supervises the formation, enforcement, and development of the security policy and cooperation with foreign countries, regions, and international organizations, the strengthening of the Eastern neighborhood policy, human rights and democracy, European policy, trans-Atlantic and developmental cooperation, and support of democracy.
The head of the Ministry's administration is the chancellor. The chancellor coordinates and controls the activities of the Ministry's administrative departments, ensures that financial and intellectual resources, assets and information are used optimally to achieve the Ministry's strategic operating goals and objectives.
The foreign minister has an advisory institution, the so-called board. The ministry also has a cat called Rango, with his official title being 'Official Cat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania'.

## Ministers

Democratic Labour Party  Homeland Union  New Union  Social Democratic Party  Independent
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs |||||||
| Term | Minister | Party | Cabinet | Office | Office | Office |
| Term | Minister | Party | Cabinet | Start date | End date | Time in office |
| 1 | Algirdas Saudargas (born 1948) | Homeland Union | Prunskienė | 17 January 1990 | 10 January 1991 | 358 days |
| 2 | Algirdas Saudargas (born 1948) | Homeland Union | Šimėnas | 10 January 1991 | 13 January 1991 | 3 days |
| 3 | Algirdas Saudargas (born 1948) | Homeland Union | Vagnorius | 13 January 1991 | 21 July 1992 | 1 year, 190 days |
| 4 | Algirdas Saudargas (born 1948) | Homeland Union | Abišala | 21 July 1992 | 17 December 1992 | 149 days |
| 5 | Povilas Gylys (born 1948) | Democratic Labour Party | Lubys | 17 December 1992 | 31 March 1993 | 104 days |
| 6 | Povilas Gylys (born 1948) | Democratic Labour Party | Šleževičius | 31 March 1993 | 19 March 1996 | 2 years, 354 days |
| 7 | Povilas Gylys (born 1948) | Democratic Labour Party | Stankevičius | 19 March 1996 | 10 December 1996 | 266 days |
| 8 | Algirdas Saudargas (born 1948) | Homeland Union | Vagnorius | 10 December 1996 | 10 June 1999 | 2 years, 182 days |
| 9 | Algirdas Saudargas (born 1948) | Homeland Union | Paksas | 10 June 1999 | 11 November 1999 | 154 days |
| 10 | Algirdas Saudargas (born 1948) | Homeland Union | Kubilius | 11 November 1999 | 9 November 2000 | 365 days |
| 11 | Antanas Valionis (born 1950) | New Union | Paksas | 9 November 2000 | 12 July 2001 | 245 days |
| 12 | Antanas Valionis (born 1950) | New Union | Brazauskas | 12 July 2001 | 14 December 2004 | 3 years, 155 days |
| 13 | Antanas Valionis (born 1950) | New Union | Brazauskas | 14 December 2004 | 18 July 2006 | 1 year, 216 days |
| 14 | Petras Vaitiekūnas (born 1953) | Independent | Kirkilas | 18 July 2006 | 9 December 2008 | 2 years, 144 days |
| 15 | Vygaudas Ušackas (born 1962) | Independent | Kubilius | 9 December 2008 | 26 January 2010 | 1 year, 48 days |
| 16 | Audronius Ažubalis (born 1958) | Homeland Union | Kubilius | 29 January 2010 | 13 December 2012 | 2 years, 319 days |
| 17 | Linas Antanas Linkevičius (born 1961) | Social Democratic Party | Butkevičius | 13 December 2012 | 13 December 2016 | 4 years, 0 days |
| 18 | Linas Antanas Linkevičius (born 1961) | Social Democratic Party | Skvernelis | 13 December 2016 | 11 December 2020 | 3 years, 364 days |
| 18 | Linas Antanas Linkevičius (born 1961) | Independent | Skvernelis | 13 December 2016 | 11 December 2020 | 3 years, 364 days |
| 19 | Gabrielius Landsbergis (born 1982) | Homeland Union | Šimonytė | 11 December 2020 | 12 December 2024 | 4 years, 1 day |
| 20 | Kęstutis Budrys (born 1980) | Independent | Paluckas | 12 December 2024 | Incumbent | 93 days |